Elected officials, like those in New York, have been pleading publicly for President Donald Trump to intervene as the price of medical equipment soars.
"The federal government says 'states, you need to go find your supply chain' and then the federal government ends up buying from that supply chain."
State leaders from Iowa to New Mexico, and Oklahoma to Virginia have been sounding similar alarms over dwindling or difficult to restock medical supplies.
Like other governors in states facing shortages, California's Gavin Newsom has said his administration is striking out on its own in search of supplies.
Without intervention from Trump, the states -- which operate on tighter budgets than the federal government -- are repeatedly being drawn into bidding wars.